12 Ways To Curb Your Spending

A particularly effective means of draining your bank account is to do so in small doses. Twenty-dollar withdrawals from the ATM feel so petty that it doesn't seem harmful to go through half a dozen of them over the course of a few days. Of course, when the monthly statement comes in, it becomes clear just how damaging they really are.

An obvious remedy to this situation and curb your spending is to cut down on trips to the ATM by withdrawing a lump sum of cash every week. Then again, old habits die hard and you might just find yourself taking out the big amounts with the same frequency that you did the smaller ones.

So how's this for an alternative solution: Eliminate the need for some of those small withdrawals by making some minor adjustments to your spending habits. For instance, cutting out the traditional post-work beers one night of the week might save you $20. Over the course of a month, that small sacrifice will keep an extra $80 in your account.

Here are a dozen other painless ways to curb your spending.

1- Iron and starch your own shirts

Keeping your shirts looking spiffy is a definite necessity; you can't show up to work looking like a slob. So shelling out $3 to $4 per shirt certainly seems like a reasonable cost to have them cleaned professionally. A better price still would be to make the one-time $2 investment toward a spritz bottle and do it yourself.

Instead of chucking your shirts into a pile at the end of the day, hang them on the shower curtain rod and give them a quick spray of hot water. They'll be wrinkle-free in the morning, and you'll be a few dollars richer every week you do so.

2- Bring your own wine

Restaurants usually mark their wine stock up to around double the retail price. Seek out establishments in your area that allow you to bring your own wine, and save anywhere from $10 on up when you dine out. A bottle of Penfolds 1998 Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz, for instance, runs for around $21 retail, but will cost you at least $40 coming from a waiter.

3- Rent a movie

With the emergence of multiplex theaters, a night at the movies has turned into a rather expensive ordeal. Even if you go to see a show solo, the ticket price coupled with the ridiculously inflated cost of a drink and popcorn will easily cost you $20 to $25. Save yourself a withdrawal by getting a $4 to $5 rental instead. Drinks not included.

4- Clip coupons

Be warned: Clipping coupons may draw some crude remarks from your buddies, but if you do it consistently enough, you'll be laughing all the way to the bank. Coupons will often give you around 20% off the marked price; apply this to a $100 grocery bill and you'll be $20 richer.